The 66-year-old was last seen Monday night when he went to bed. His family believes he left home sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and might have been wearing only under his underwear.

Search teams on foot, with dogs and on horseback, including deputies from San Bernardino County, Border Patrol agents and dozens of volunteers have been scouring the remote area near his residence on Handlebar Road off Hidden Valley Road ever since. A sheriff’s helicopter crew also looked for Salayer from above.

Caldwell said the effort has been reclassified from rescue to recovery and that cadaver dogs are now being utilized. The search is being concentrated in a large field not from Salayer’s home where neighbors reported seeing birds swooping to the ground.

Caldwell said the area, which has been searched before, is covered in tall grass, foxtails and shrubbery. Searchers are walking the open space in a line searching for any clues as to his whereabouts.

Deputies have kept his family apprised and his relatives understand that the chances of his survival are slim, the spokeswoman said.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call the Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.